“This library is technically a wrapper library. This means that you, the developer, use the EasyGTK C API to create your software,
and it translates your calls to the GTK+ library. A typical EasyGTK command will do what 5 to 10 GTK+ functions would do. This
means that creating a program using EasyGTK calls is not only easier, but also much quicker.” More at IBM developerWorks.

ZDNet reports that not everyone in the world of Linux is happy about IBM’s latest Open Source strategy. “”Linux helps IBM sell things, but IBM doesn’t really help
the Linux companies,” says a senior executive at one
Linux firm.”

Slashdot readers discuss WorldNet Daily’s exclusive “report” that Iraq is stockpiling PlayStation2 units in its latest arms race.

From WSJ Interactive on ZDNet News: “When a group of suspected Pakistani hackers broke
into a U.S.-based computer system in June, they
thought they had found a vulnerable network to use
as an anonymous launching pad to attack Web sites
across India.

But what they had done was walk right into a trap known
as a honeypot — a specially equipped system deployed
by security professionals to lure hackers and track their
every move.”

Signal Ground reviews APC’s SmartUPS 700: “With the reputation that Linux systems have for being stable and reliable, it’s no wonder that
you find them in uptime- and mission critical situations. But even the best machines aren’t
worth a thing without a stable power source. Does the APC SmartUPS 700 prove as reliable as
the Linux system it powers? Read our review to find out.”

From LinuxDevices.com: “Over the past several years, Italy has been home to considerable embedded and real-time Linux development.
For example, two well known embedded Linux projects spawned on Italian soil are ETLinux, an open source
small footprint Embedded Linux developed by PROSA, and RTAI, a real-time Linux enhancement created at the
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Milano (DIAPM).”

“It’s been roughly four months since potato got released, which means
woody’s been in existance for eleven months, and that we probably want
to think about freezing and releasing it in a few more months.” Anthony Towns talks about the present and future of Woody in a message posted to LWN.net

From Network World Fusion via CNN: “Wireless networks based
on Bluetooth technology next year
will begin to transform some
restaurants, airports and even
stores by letting customers access information free of charge on their
own portable devices.” However, “…some analysts are skeptical that businesses will invest in
such services.”

“A buffer overflow in ftpd in OpenBSD was reported to the OpenBSD bugs mailing list by Kristian Vlaardingerbroek
on Dec. 4. Apparently, due to the one-byte overrun in the replydirname() function, it is possible to get a remote root
shell. This problem also exists in NetBSD’s ftpd.” Full details at BSD Today.

BSD Today has details of a few vulnerabilities that exist in this version of procfs. Notable: normal users might gain superuser access; create DoS attacks by manipulating processes; initiate buffer overflows with the help of a jail virtual machine.